Tech News

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Update - 63

MWC is here folks and the information seeping through the cracks have gone from leaks to downpours. After previously seeing some leaks, we now have (unofficial) details of HTC’s upcoming powerhouses. The One X (Endeavor) is slated to feature a quad-core processor (there are disputes as to whether it’s a 1GHz or 1.5GHz clocked speed), a beastly 4.7-inch screen, an 8MP camera and 32GB of storage. The One S (Ville) will feature a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4.7-inch display and 16GB of storage. Both devices will naturally feature Android 4.0 running the show, with perhaps the topping of the new Sense UI.
Pricing for both devices look they’ll be at a premium. The One X is listed at a price of €699.90 ($1,100 US) and the One S is at €599.90 ($944). As with any leaks and rumors, please understand that this information is by no means 100% accurate. But hey, at least we’ll find out about these two devices soon enough.
(Photo courtesy of The Verge)
source: The Verge and Android Central

We may not be seeing the Samsung Galaxy SIII at MWC next week, but we know it’s very much real and on its way. BGR reports that Samsung will not be launching the device in phases as it was done with the Galaxy SII. The Galaxy SIII will launch in 50 markets simultaneously around the globe, meaning those of us here in the States likely won’t have to wait 6 months after the initial launch as we previously saw with the Galaxy SII. Moreover, in addition to the sexy thin profile and waterproof design the SIII will likely have, it will feature a 4.8-inch screen, meaning it will likely be the perfect compliment to Android 4.0 and an HD display that was previously rumored about the device. Oh and the back of the phone will be made of ceramic, not the glossy plastic we’re accustomed to.
If you thought the Galaxy SII was a major breakthrough in smartphone design, the Galaxy SIII is ready to raise the bar even higher. Stay tuned with Talk Android for any future updates or developments in the Galaxy SIII saga.
source: BGR

Score one for the little guys. AT&T’s controversial “unlimited” data plan has made some noise in recent weeks. Since announcing they would begin reducing speeds for certain customers with the coveted unlimited data plan last year, it had since gotten an immense amount of criticism from many customers and even the media. After all, how can AT&T throttle data speeds for unlimited customers who pay
the exact same
a comparable amount to those who are on a tiered data (3GB/month) plan. Of course AT&T thinks its policies aren’t that bad, but one customer believes the policies are atrocious and had enough, so he decided to fight back.
AT&T customer Matt Spaccarelli decided to take action by taking AT&T to small claims court. He has the unlimited data plan and was being throttled by AT&T. He also contends his data speeds were being throttled, despite only using 1.5GB to 2GB of data per month and using by doing some thorough research, laid his claims and arguments before a judge arguing what AT&T is doing is wrong. AT&T countered by highlighting it is free to change the terms of its contracts or even end them outright, if it decided that the subscriber was causing adverse network usage. Judge Russell Nadel accepted the argument of Spaccarelli and granted him victory. Spaccarelli was awarded $850 which will go towards the remainder of his contract— or about $85 for 10 months.
Let this be a lesson for AT&T: customers aren’t happy and they’re willing to do something about your business practices. As an AT&T unlimited data customer myself and the victim of a threatening “text message warning” about my data usage, I can’t help but feel justice for all of us who are bullied by Ma Bell. Let’s hope it gets its act together, otherwise it will continue to lose support and ultimately customers.
(Photo courtesy of Synaptic Storage)
source: Google News
via: Phandroid

“What exactly is a Micro App Store” I hear you cry. Well it’s pretty much as it sounds, an app store that brings you micro apps for your micro device, specifically the WIMM One Android watch. The WIMM One boasts a 667MHz ARM processor with 256MB RAM and 2GB internal storage. There’s bluetooth and wireless connectivity as well as an accelerometer, GPS module and compass on board. The micro device weighs only 22g and measures in at 32 x 36 x 12.5mm, despite the tiny dimensions it manages to cram in a 1.41″, 160 x 160 capacitive touch screen.
Impressive tech-specs are simply the first step to success, without top notch developer support the specifications may well count for nothing and that’s where the Micro App Store comes into play. Similar to the Android Market website, WIMM’s store pushes the selected app from the web directly to the WIMM One watch. At the time of posting there are around 25 applications ready for download with the promise of many more to come. There’s no infrastructure for paid apps just yet so perhaps it’s the ideal to time to fill your boots with some free apps.
It seems that the mobile device size wars go round in cycles. In the days of the Nokia 8310 it was all about being the smallest, then the original RAZR arrived on the scene and thin was in, now with the 4.65″ Galaxy Nexus and 5.3″ Galaxy Note hitting the headlines, the current trend is all about being the biggest. Is 2012 set to be the year when we arrive full circle as we see the rise of the tiny, smart watches? We had a false dawn in 2010 with the, innovative but flawed, Sony Ericsson LiveView but this year is set to be more promising with Motorola’s MotoActv, the stylish i’mWatch and Sony’s forthcoming SmartWatch all hitting the market.
Check out the link for full details on the WIMM Micro App Store and be sure to let us know if you’re planning on picking up a smart watch this year in the comments below.

We brought you some hands-on time with the X10 at the CES in January and we also broke the news that the X10 was on sale in the UK (albeit badged as the AT200). Today we can tell you that Toshiba’s super-slim, Android powerhouse has arrived on the Future Shop website, available for pre-order.
The Excite X10 runs Android Honeycomb 3.2 and although Toshiba has confirmed that an ICS update is in the works, there’s no word yet on when it will land. In the engine room is a 1.2 Ghz TI OMAP 4430 processor backed up with 1GB RAM. At a mere 7.7mm, the X10 claims to be the slimmest tablet on the market and packs a 10.1″, 1280 x 800 IPS display. There’s a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera to take care of your imaging needs. Pre-order pricing is set at $550 for the 16GB model and $600 for the 32GB model.
source : future shop

In an effort to give customers a window into all that is HTC, the company has unveiled its new public blog. In a post about Mobile World Congress, HTC Director of Digital Marketing John Starkweather teases us with a picture of some bubble-wrapped devices he calls “something amazing”. What do you think? Does this look like a box full of HTC One V’s, HTC One S’s or HTC One X’s?

He also posted a picture of HTC’s MWC room setup.

HTC’s MWC press conference starts Sunday. What are you most looking forward to them unwrapping?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably played one of the many iterations of Rovio’s extremely popular Angry Birds games. The Finnish company has been very successful marketing this game on all platforms, and merchandising the heck out of the game’s lovable birds and pigs. They’ve been in movie talks and even teamed up with Korean police to help combat bullying. These little guys are literally everywhere… except, apparently, in Rovio’s next game.
In a recent interview, Rovio CEO Mikael Hed spilled the beans that they are working on a new game that is not an Angry Birds spinoff, and it will be out “in a couple of months”. That’s pretty much all he said about it, so no further details are known at this time.
Let’s hope the new game’s characters are as lovable and merchandisable as these birds are. I’d expect nothing less from Rovio.

The folks at Concept-Phones got their hands on a picture of what is rumored to be the Xperia Play 2, Sony’s follow-up to the Playstation-certified, PSP-like Xperia Play. It is unsure whether this image is a concept render or the real thing. Heck, could be a fake for all we know, but it does look fairly legit. Have a look below and decide for yourself.

It’s interesting to note that this image shows the older four-capacitive-button style instead of the newer ICS style which contains only three buttons. Is this an old render? Will it be running ICS? Your guess is as good as mine. The gaming buttons are laid out exactly like the original Xperia Play, but this version contains the transparent notification bar, similar to the Xperia S.
The source also provided some specs:

No word on whether this will make an appearance in Barcelona, but considering all the unknowns, I wouldn’t bet on it.
Anyone looking forward to an updated Xperia Play?
source: concept-phones
via: androidspin

I’ve got some bummer news for those of you who were hoping on seeing Boarderlands 2 make its way to Android in the future. Trust me, I don’t deliver this news in vain because all of us here at Talk Android were super stoked to see what it would look like running on a Tegra 3 Android tablet, but now unfortunately it looks like we will never get the chance. According to a statement released by Gearbox Software, the tablet in the demo video we witnessed was only used for the presentation purposes and they have no intention on releasing it on Android. Here’s what they had to say to Android and Me about the confusion:

The news out of PLXLAN is unfounded and Gearbox Software is not developing Borderlands 2 for Android. Per our press release on Wednesday, Borderlands 2 will be available on September 18 for PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. As you know, the new trailer went viral yesterday and has nearly 1 million views as of today – it's likely what was being shown at PLXLAN on a tablet. Hope this clears up any confusion, please feel free to update your readers.

Well there goes that idea I guess. Maybe it’s nothing that some constant nagging wouldn’t fix.
source: Android and Me

Yes the Samsung Galaxy Note might just be the biggest thing right now, and I’m not just talking about size. This is one of those phones that really has everyone intrigued. No it’s not for everyone, but just about everyone has a look of “wow” on their face when they see it for the first time.
It looks like the loyal customers of Three UK are going to get rewarded soon because they just announced they plan to bring this beast to the lineup soon. They didn’t announce any specific time frame or pricing, but we do know they will carry the white version.
We are about to release our review of the U.S. version soon, but you can check out our hands on with some of the S Pen optimized apps as well as our quick overall hands on.Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Three UK